who uses leica

I would go along with others and test every camera you are interested in.

My personal thoughts on the new M and M9 is they are first and foremost "pleasure" cameras. They are not like a full frame professional Nikon, which are "working" cameras.

That may be an over generalization, because you can use either for work or pleasure. It still rings true for 90% of the time.

If you just want something, pretty and well built and enjoy using a rangefinder and fix focal lengths get the new M. I didn't really have much time for the M9 with it's average low light performance. I live in London and it's rarely not dark and gloomy. The new M is technically superior and it's only the unique CCD characteristics of the M9 in bright light you'll miss.

If you have more varied subjects and conditions just buy a Canon 5D MKIII or Nikon D800 with the appropriate professional Zoom. A D800 with a 24-70/2.8 and SB-910 might make you look like a wedding photographer, but it will also do pretty much anything you ask of it and faster and more reliably then Leica M. Plus you'll be able to spend the money you save on going somewhere to shoot interesting subjects.

On a related note half the enjoyment of using a Leica is how it forces you to shoot a specific way. You can't experience that from a simple test in a shop. I don't know your past camera experience, but some people never get to grip with using a rangefinder. So really make an effort to find out if you can use one. Even if it means grabbing a cheap film rangefinder off eBay and shooting a dozen or so rolls through it. You'll know by then if you have it in you to live with zone focusing, hip-shooting and other stuff they force you to do.